Parshas Tzav Shabbos Hagadol 5783

“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”

Erev Shabbos Kodesh parshas Tzav/Shabbos HaGadol

9 Nissan Adar 5783/March 31, 2023

לזכר נשמת נטע יצחק בן אלכסנדר ז”ל

UNDER PRESSURE

The first time I flew somewhere on a plane I was 8 years old. I went to
Eretz Yisroel with my Aunt Miriam at the end of the summer. At the time, I
remember thinking how spacious and comfortable the seats were.

When I flew again a few years later I couldn’t get over how much the
seats seemed to have shrunk. That has only gotten worse with time.

Before that first trip, people advised me to make sure I had gum for the
flight. Although I was very excited that I was being encouraged to bring gum
along but wasn’t quite sure why. When my plane took off and my ear started
hurting, my aunt told me that I should chew gum and make sure to swallow. I
think I stuffed half the package in my mouth.

Airplane ear, also known as ear barotrauma, occurs when the pressure in
the middle ear is different than the pressure in the surrounding air. As a
plane rapidly ascends after takeoff or descends as it prepares for landing, the
air pressure changes very quickly causing the discomfort of airplane ear.
Swallowing helps open the tubes within the ear, allowing it to adjust to the
outside pressure.

In recent years, after lengthy flights, my ears hurt a lot during
landing. Then I have a hard time hearing for 24 hours. Everything said to me
sounds hazy, as if I’m being spoken to in a tunnel. It’s uncomfortable and
inconvenient and definitely makes it harder to hear and concentrate on what is
being said to me.

As Jews, one of our supreme values is education. We prioritize the
chinuch of our children above almost all else, expending unimaginable amounts
of our hard-earned money and resources so our children can attend private
schools that espouse and educate Torah values.

The challenge is that some of our children have a hard time sitting at a
desk and listening to lectures all day. Therein lies the great struggle and
question of how to motivate the seemingly unmotivated. Every parent and
educator is aware of how difficult it is to find the right balance and means to
educate such children.

The first step in doing so must be to pinpoint why the child is
“unmotivated”. Every child inherently wants to do well and bring nachas to
his/her parents. The lack of production may be the result of inability to
focus, lack of comprehension, dyslexia, or a slew of other intellectual or
emotional issues.

There are those who feel that children who aren’t producing need to be
pressured more. The logic is that if we could just make them feel more
accountable than they would stop slackening.

In fact, the inverse is often true. Like airplane ear, the more pressure
increases the less the student is able to hear. We are able to learn new things
when we feel settled and calm. But when we feel distracted, edgy, or anxious,
it becomes extremely difficult to focus, comprehend and retain new information.
When the level of external pressure rapidly changes the ability to learn
diminishes as well.[1]

The night of Pesach, the regal night of faith, inner freedom, and hope,
is also the night of education. “And you shall tell your son on that day
saying…”

The pasuk also instructs us to tell over the story “in the ears of your
sons and your son’s sons” (Shemos 10:2) The vernacular of the pasuk is that it
must be taught in a way that resonates in the ears of each child. One cannot
teach faith in a generic manner. It must be tailored toward each child, spoken
into his own ear. In that way, the son will want to convey that emotional
excitement to the next generation.

The Four Sons of the Haggadah remind us of the vital importance of
addressing each of our children according to his/her unique abilities and
weaknesses. We have to teach them and speak to them in a way that they can hear
and internalize our timeless values.

Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,

            R’
Dani and Chani Staum